STATE TIMES NEWS
BAJALTA: National Confe-rence Provincial President, Devender Singh Rana on Friday called for inter-community and inter-religious dialogue for promoting better understanding and harmony, saying respecting each others’ sentiments is imperative for healthy societal growth.
“Love, compassion and inclusiveness is the essence of every religion and therefore there is no room for hate and mistrust between communities”, Rana said while addressing a congregation at Brahamkumari Ashram here this evening.
Rana said inter-community discourse will help in eschewing misgivings and understanding each others’ aspirations in positive frame. “We must take a lead and initiate this process at grass roots level by interacting with each other”, he added
Rana said the society has to grow in unison and spirit of camaraderie by isolating all those creating division, either due to ignorance or for vested interest. For this, he highlighted the crucial need of imbibing the spirit of selflessness and righteousness, corner-stone of every religion, saying unity and tranquility alone will help in isolating such forces.
“We have to fight collectively to all those who promote hate, which is not in consonance of our pluralistic ethos”, he said and urged the people, especially youth, to come forward and play their useful role in this regard. He said religious polarisation is dangerous for the sensitive state like Jammu and Kashmir.
Referring to the time tested traditions and glorious secular ethos of Jammu and Kashmir; the MLA Nagrota said the people have upheld these traditions by maintaining amity and brotherhood despite attempts being made to fragment the society on religious lines. This spirit, he said, is not only to be preserved but also passed on to the posterity to sustain the harmonious growth the society as a whole.
Rana viewed with concern the polarizing overtures of politicians with myopic vision that have led Jammu and Kashmir to a difficult passé and reiterated that the apparent gulf between communities and regions can be bridged by encouraging and facilitating intra-state dialogue between the three regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh to preserve singular entity of the state and also to bridge the fault-lines being created by divisive forces on the basis of region and religion
Being a strong believer of the State prospering as a singular entity with opportunities of progress to all, irrespective of caste, colour, region and religion, Rana said a duty has cast upon all the peace loving citizens to preserve the idea of Jammu and Kashmir.
